Clarity
by poetic nonsense
Summary: It's difficult when the man in your dreams and the man of your dreams aren't the same person. Sarah struggles to reconcile the two, without realising the consequences of playing with fire and dreams. J/S
1. Frozen Waves of Past

**A/N: Hi everyone, this is my first attempt at a Labyrinth fanfiction, and I couldn't get certain images to stop flashing in my mind, so I figured they should be written down. I hope you all enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, except a copy of the movie.**

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**Clarity**

**Chapter One: Frozen Waves of Past**

The afternoon was bright and clear, with the sun lazily spreading its rays across the lush diversity of flora that presided in the garden. To many, this was a beautiful and peaceful Saturday meant to be spent with friends and family and for some, this Saturday would be a day that was remembered as the start of something so magnificent and monumental that they would wonder for years to come what it had all meant. However, for this young woman, today was simply the day she was marrying the man she loved.

To call this day as something simple was an understatement to say the least. Despite their relationship going strong for several years, she still did not have the acceptance of her fiancés' family and with this thought, she gave a disheartened sigh. _I doubt they will ever truly accept me as their daughter-in-law_, she thought bitterly to herself. She looked down at her fingers as they pulled at each other nervously and glanced quickly out the window.

Her spot on the windowsill had one of the best views, and she wished she could appreciate the beautiful lushness of the gardens, with its soft green grass and neat rose hedges that she could see were straining to grow wildly. She couldn't forget the harsh and cruel words her future husband's mother had screamed at her when they had told his family they were preparing to become married, and she couldn't forget the look on his father's face either - a mixture of disdain, disappointment and barely concealed anger. Was it spiteful then that she was secretly glad that her fiancé had decided to forge ahead with the wedding, his family be damned?

She gave herself a small smile. No, it wasn't spiteful, but she was fully aware of all the hardships that would come with being a newlywed family without the financial support of his family. _I wonder if these hardships will be unnumbered too,_ she thought to herself with a slight giggle. She looked out into the gardens once more, her mood suddenly lightened. She could see the large marquee set up, with long tables being set with cutlery for her reception later in the evening and the helpers stringing fairy lights across the trees and hedges. A sudden image flashed into her mind.

_Giggling softly with a quiet melody lilting the background, her bare feet trod across soft blades of grass with a small modicum of rhythm, whilst the gentle moonlight washed over her pale skin. The gentle feel of their clasped hands brought a peace to her heart and she let herself be twirled whilst the full skirt of her dress twirled and swished with her. She was twirling and laughing and twirling some more and the fairy lights on the trees were starting to blend together and oh! she was starting to get dizzy. She opened her mouth to start berating him when her foot stepped over the other and she fell forward, her hands outstretched waiting to bear the brunt of the impact onto the grass. _

_"Do you believe I would let you fall, precious?" his soft words tickled her ear as she realised she had never hit the ground, but was instead encircled with strong arms snaking around her waist. For a moment, all she could hear and feel was the thundering of her heartbeat and the heat from his chest radiating into her back. She placed her hands over his and rotated her body so his bare hands now rested on the small of her back, where he could lay claim to the creamy expanse of flesh that was revealed with her backless dress. Slowly placing her hands onto the patch of bare chest that was revealed by his silky shirt, she raised onto her tip toes and whispered into his ear with a sultry smile "Oh, but my dear lord, I've already fallen..". _

_With movement as quick as lightning, he grasped her wrists in his hands and took possession of her mouth with his own. He attacked her mouth with a demanding aggression, taking advantage of her shock by stealing any gasps away with his dancing tongue. She gave a small moan that was quickly swallowed by more of his unrelenting passion._

_When they pulled apart, their breaths were ragged and he assessed the state of her lips with a smirk - they were now swollen and looking thoroughly ravished._

_"Sarah ..."_

"Sarah!"

A loud pounding on the wooden doors awoke her from her daydream and she brought her fingers up to her tingling lips. She gave herself a little shake of the head to shake off the remnants of the memory. _No point thinking about the man in those dreams anymore Sarah. Today, you're marrying the man of your actual dreams, _she gently chided herself. She ran her hands over her gown once again and fiddled with the neckline. "Come in! The door is open!" she called.

Karen walked in, dressed in her finest outfit with Toby trailing behind wearing a rather smart suit himself. Sarah beamed at them and rushed over to the door to give Karen a hug, before bending lower to also give Toby a hug and a kiss on the cheek. She could see that Toby was not in the best of moods, with a pout and wrinkled eyebrows portraying his unhappiness. Schooling her features into something that resembled Toby's face, Sarah looked at Toby and pouted.

"What's wrong Toby-woby?" she asked in a mock grumpy voice.

The 12-year old crossed his arms gruffly. "I don't want you to get married."

"Toby!" his mother chided.

"Well, it's true. If Sarah gets married, then she won't play with me anymore."

"Aw Toby! Even when I'm married, I'm still going to play with you! You're still going to be my favourite little brother." coaxed Sarah in a gentle sing-song voice.

All she received was a gruff "hrmph" in reply.

Sarah looked back to Karen, to see unshed tears brimming in the older woman's eyes. "Oh Sarah, you look absolutely gorgeous. Brian is so lucky to have you!"

Sarah could do nothing but blush and do a small twirl for her stepmother that she had now come to regard as a close friend, if not a parent. Karen regarded the woman she had come to love as daughter with respect and sadness. She had grown up to be a remarkable young woman, and it would signify the start of a new chapter in the Williams' lives once Sarah had left.

With a sad smile, Karen told her that it was almost time to head out to her wedding ceremony. "Your father is just waiting outside Sarah. We're both so proud of you, and just know that we'll always be here for you."

"I know Karen. Thank you so much for everything. Is Angela outside as well?" Karen nodded. Sarah grabbed her bouquet from the small wooden vanity and gave herself one more look-over in the mirror. The off-the-shoulder neckline of her dress framed her face wonderfully, and her black hair was pinned up with white rose blossoms decorating the curls in between. She gave one more hug to Karen and ruffled the hair of Toby affectionately before she called in her dad and best friend to the room.

"Daddy?"

Robert William's head popped into the doorway and on seeing his daughter dressed in all white, ready to be given away to her husband, a sudden surge of emotion hit him. "Oh Sarah, look at you … "he whispered. "You're so beautiful; I don't want to give you away at all!"

"Oh Daddy, I'll still be your little girl. And I'll visit all the time!" Sarah laughed playfully, even though she felt tears welling in her eyes as well. Her relationship with her father had not been well when she started dating Brian, and it was only in past two years that their father-daughter relationship had really healed.

"I know darling, I know. I still remember when you were a baby on my lap … ". Robert's eyes glassed over as he headed down memory lane and Sarah took the opportunity to call in her best friend.

"Angela, thank you so much for being here today. You've been an amazing friend, and I don't know what I would have done without you!"

Angela only gave her a wide smile in return. "The pleasure's been all mine sweetie. Now, I'm going to head downstairs and get into position. This is your day, so don't let those two old warts mess it up, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, she headed out of the room and proceeded to the ceremony.

Sarah took a deep breath in. She was as prepared as prepared could be. "Daddy? I'm ready"

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Walking down the aisle with her father, Sarah felt light-footed and light-hearted. With her gaze fixed steadily on her groom's face, she barely felt her father pass her arm over to his and his whisper "You take care of her now". She smiled dreamily at Brian, before registering the minister had started to speak.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this company, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony." The priest paused for a moment to look at the happy couple before continuing. "Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. If any man can show just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace."

With the minister's words, a swirl of memories crashed into Sarah and her face turned ghostly white.

_I don't want you to get married … _

_… I won't let you marry him, precious … _

_… You're mine … _

Before she could gather her thoughts cohesively, all she heard were two words that would haunt her for the rest of her life.

"I object."

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**A/N: Please review! I know what is happening in the next few chapters, so reviews will urge my fingers to type faster!**


	2. It All Comes Back To Life

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry it's been a while since the last chapter. Life has been a little crazy, but I hope you enjoy this chapter! Also a quick shout to those that reviewed and added my story to your alert: THANK YOU SO MUCH. You've no idea what this means to me! Please review and tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you'd like to see more of - anything! I'd love to hear from you guys. :)**

**Disclaimer: As always, I own nothing unfortunately.**

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**Clarity**

**Chapter 2: It All Comes Back to Life**

For as long as she could remember, Sarah Williams had always prided herself on one quality. She refused to lose. Over the years throughout her school life and now into her career, she had heard countless people complain about her stubborness, whilst others preferred to call her pig-headed (amongst other not so pleasant names). The nicer ones simply called her "competitive". She didn't deny any of those claims, but personally, she liked the term "strong-willed" a little better. After all, one did not become a Champion of the Labyrinth at 15 or a rising star in her law firm at the tender age of 25 by being keen to lose. But she still had the heart to recognise that this quality had upset and wronged many people over the years. A litany of examples would be possible if someone bothered to compile a list of people she had pushed over to ensure her winning streak. Bethany Goodman in college, Daniel Tse at work, her local barista Andy .. the list would have been endless! But the thought had never occurred to her that one day these people would seek retribution and payback for their downfall. What better way than to ruin one of the best moments in her life?

So, when the words "I object" had floated throughout the church, over all the guests that had come far and wide from all over the world to see Brian and herself wedded in matrimony, Sarah Williams was furious. How could someone be so cruel to ruin such an important day? Was their message that important that it couldn't be left until later, where the only listening ears would be that of hers and her husbands'? Perhaps an attentive audience was their primary objective, to sow seeds of doubt about their love in front of all their friends and family. _It just isn't fai_-, she told herself angrily before cutting her sentence short. _No, I cannot possibly say that, can I? I have absolutely no basis for comparison_. Forcing her face into a contrived and sweet smile, she turned her head slowly to face the magnificent archway of the church, expecting to see someone she had wronged over the years, or even one of Brian's disgruntled ex-girlfriends.

Unfortunately, there was no-one standing in the doorway to heap the blame of interrupting her wedding onto. Wrinkling her eyebrows in confusion, her sparkling emerald green eyes scanned the red carpeted aisle that led to the doorway in an effort to find the myserious person. She could hear the crowd whispering fervently to each other, their heads bowed close together to share their thoughts and she pursed her lips in annoyance. She vaguely became aware of an angry hiss coming from the front pews behind her, and she could see that the crowd had started gesturing softly in the direction behind her. Rotating her body slightly so she could see the pews directly behind her, she saw none other than Toby himself, standing up with his arms crossed over his chest and an enormous grumpy pout on his face.

"Toby, sit back down! You are in so much trouble, young man" she heard Karen whisper angrily to her brother, whilst tugging on his suit jacket in an effort to pull him back down onto the seats. When Toby shook his head fervently and huffed a little, Karen snarled and took a deep calming breath. "I don't know where you learnt this from Toby, but I won't let you ruin your sister's wedding!" Karen looked up at Sarah, apology and regret deeply evident in her eyes. If anything, it would be her poor parenting skills that would be criticised this day, and whilst she was able to handle that, she didn't know how everyone would judge her beautiful step-daughter that she now considered her own flesh and blood.

"Well, I don't want Sarah to marry Brian!"

"That's it young man! You're coming with me!". Karen rose from her seat and started pulling on Toby's hand to drag him out of the pews. She would take him out of the wedding so he could reflect on what he'd done to his sister, and if he refused to take responsibility for his actions, well, she'd deal with that later.

"I'm so sorry Sarah. I don't know what's gotten into him. I'll just take him into the back rooms." Karen cried softly to Sarah, knowing that she would miss out on seeing her stepdaughter's wedding, as she would have to supervise and punish her son for his reckless behaviour.

"Karen, wait." Sarah kneeled down in her wedding dress, which drew a soft gasp from the audience and gently collected Toby's hands in hers. "Toby, I understand, and I'm not upset. It used to be just me and you against the world, but don't worry I'm not going anywhere. I'm still always your big sister first, okay?" Toby nodded and she could see tears forming gentle trails on his rosy cheeks. "Now, go be a good boy and sit back down, okay?" She gave him a huge grin and stood back up to face her groom. His face conveyed joy and understanding and he silently worded "I love you" to Sarah. She smiled shly and a gentle rosy blush formed on her cheeks. Several years together, and he still had the ability to bring a blush to her cheeks simply by saying "I love you".

"Well, now that that excitement is all over, let's get on with the ceremony then, shall we?" The priest's voice sounded mildly amused - never before in his 30 years working at this church had he ever seen a young man object to a wedding simply because he loved his sister too much to let go.

"I think not" drawled a mildly British voice from the entryway of the church. Sarah rolled her eyes in exasperation and missed the way the priest's eyebrows shot up and nearly reached the top of his head. Forget a brother objecting to a wedding, he had never had _two_ objections to a wedding. None of his other priestly friends would believe this situation when they congregated next for their weekly meet up! This girl must be spectacularly special to have two men demand her withdrawal of marriage to this Brian McKenzie fellow standing in front of him.

"Well, perhaps we'll take this into the back rooms of the church where we can discuss this". The priest spoke softly but firmly that would have persuaded most others to comply with his wishes. It would be most unpleasant if this discussion were to occur in front of all the invited guests, and he was keen to move away from an audience in order to give the three people some privacy for their talk. He had experienced only a handful of objections at weddings, and he was aware that it was difficult to remediate talks that did not end with some form of physical violence or tears. However, he looked piercingly at the latest objector and noted that the newcomer's body language seemed very relaxed and confident about interrupting this wedding. He heard Sarah's shocked gasp and looked at her with worry and noticed her facial expression portrayed feelings of intense confusion and astonishment.

Sarah had turned around to face the doorway once again and although the intruder was standing quite some distance away, she could feel the power emanating from him. She gave a small shiver as she felt feather soft caresses dance over her skin and her eyes glazed over as a foggy mist started building in the recesses of her mind. She heard Brian's voice call out her name, ringing crystal clear in her mind and the murkiness that was in her mind dissipated as quickly as it had formed.

Blinking several times, she noticed her position in the church and realised her feet had walked towards the intruder of their own volition during her mind blank. Gritting her teeth, she could only try to convince herself that this was all an illusion. "No, no, no, this isn't real. _He's_ not real." she tried reasoning with herself. She made the mistake of looking up at his face once more due to the river of anger that was awash in her body, and the flames of anger within her only grew stronger and brighter once she realised he wore a smug smirk across his sharp features.

"I don't believe that will be necessary. Will it Sarah?" He stepped into the church, his boots silent against the carpet and his voice, edged with confidence and authority betrayed an underlying challenge for her to defy him. The Labyrinth Champion inside her immediately fell to his goading, prepared with a retort that indeed, it would be necessary, because he had no right to interrupt her wedding, since well, he had _no power_ over her. However, once Sarah looked at his face and saw his mismatched eyes searing into her soul, her defiance and anger melted away. All of a sudden, she felt as if she were in the Crystal Ballroom all over again staring into his eyes, with her pure white dress billowing around her and her dark hair adorned with fine silver jewellery. Nothing else existed in this world at this moment; it was just him, in his jeweled midnight blue jacket and blue tipped hair and it was just her, lost and wide-eyed.

"Actually, I think it will be necessary, given she's about to be married to **me**" a clear voice rung out from near the altar, breaking through Sarah's consciousness. She blinked rapidly, before looking around her and seeing a different setting than the one she had just been in. Her wedding guests were staring at her openly, pointing and whispering about what they believed to be her secrets. Her head swivelled back to meet the gaze of her husband-to-be, and gone was the look of joy and love that had been evident on his face just moments earlier. His handsome features were now contorted into a fashion designed to portray anger and defiance and her heart shattered. Brian was a wonderful and generous man, the type that all girls swooned over and all the guys wanted to be best friends with and this wedding was supposed to celebrate her union with the man of her dreams! Although the blonde intruder may have featured heavily in her dreams during her sleep over the past few months, he was nowhere close to being the man of her dreams and she'd be damned if he ruined the best thing that had happened to her!

She turned back around to fix the strongest glare she could muster at him before opening her mouth to release a torrent of reasons why his presence was not appreciated. She saw an arrogant smirk on his face, one befitting a man who was used to getting his own way and felt the anger rise and bubble up more fervently inside her. Recognising her anger, he simply gave her a larger smirk and watched triumphantly as Sarah Williams squeaked after she heard his response.

With a cold tone rife with indifference and smugness, Jareth simply told the groom "No, I don't believe that it is, given that she's carrying my child".

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**A/N: I'd love to hear your thoughts on this chapter, so remember to review! :)**


	3. Fighting Fear

**A/N: Hi everyone! Sorry for the delay! I had a couple of mini re-writes before I settled on something I liked, so I hope this chapter is enjoyed!**

**Also a huge thanks (and virtual hug!) to my reviewers – you guys keep me motivated to keep writing, and also virtual cookies to the anonymous reviewer who got the reference to "Clarity"! This fic is not based off its lyrics, but the song serves as a sort of premise for this story.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing related to the Labyrinth or the song Clarity.**

**Warning: This chapter contains swearing and mature themes!**

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**Clarity**

**Chapter Three: Fighting Fear**

Her pacing was starting to become irritating - although Sarah was pacing back and forth barefoot on the beige carpet silently, the movement and the soft rustling of her wedding dress was starting to make Robert's head spin. Karen had astutely avoided the situation by retreating to the kitchen to make cups of tea that she assured would help the situation, but the aforementioned tea (and his darling wife) had yet to make an appearance after fifteen minutes of Sarah's non-stop pacing and muttering. It seemed that all Sarah was able to process so far was that a man named Jareth had showed up to interrupt her wedding, claiming that she was carrying his child and Robert couldn't help but reflect on the events that was meant to constitute the happiest day of his little girl's life.

After Jareth turned up, everything had started melting into an unmitigated disaster. Sarah's prospective mother-in-law had wasted no time after Jareth's bombshell comment and had promptly started calling his daughter a "gold-digging slut" and that it would be over her dead body before she let a "knocked up good-for-nothing hussy" marry into their family. Robert gave himself a triumphant smile as he recalled the memory of Karen calmly asking how Caroline Kingsley, the name-calling mother-in-law, managed to marry her way into the wealthy Kingsley family.

When insults started to be hurled back and forth across the church by family members of the bride and groom and the whole church fell into a state of disarray and uproar, Robert knew that Sarah had to be removed from the scene. He quickly ushered Karen and Toby out of the pews and gathered Sarah to move into the back rooms of the church and motioned for Brian and the priest to follow. Fortunately, Brian had the good sense to follow instead of witnessing the onslaught of insults between the two families, but the man named Jareth simply strolled down the aisle into the back rooms leisurely and even gave Robert a smirk as he followed the bride and groom.

Robert and Karen knew to respect the privacy of the couple and took Toby further along the hallway where they proceeded to sit down and wait for the aftermath. After some time had passed, Karen started bobbing Toby on her knee, even though they all knew he had grown out of this particular habit, but Karen needed the comfort and distraction. As she gently placed him back onto the bench for him to sit by himself, they heard, more than saw, Brian fling open the heavy oak doors and storm furiously out, with curse words peppering his murmured sentences.

"Fine! Just leave then!" Sarah rushed out after him into the hallway, her face contorted with anger. Her tightly pinned curls were becoming loose and messy tendrils were starting to fall away and frame her face. She quickly spun back around to face the room and with her eyes flashing angrily, she pointed her finger aggressively inside the room at what Karen and Robert could only assume was Jareth. "You! I can't believe you have the nerve to come and do this! You have absolutely no right!"

With a huff, Sarah seemed determined to storm off, but her father's soft but commanding voice stopped her in her steps. "Sarah. It's time to go home." Nodding numbly, Sarah faced her father and Karen moved quickly to physically hold onto her. "What about the guests?" she whispered in a small voice, not trusting the truth of the situation. "I'll go out and deal with them. Karen, take Sarah to the car" her father countered firmly.

He was broken out of his reflection when the tinkling of fine bone china alerted him to his wife's presence. "Sarah, I've made some tea. I... How ... What exactly happened?" Karen asked uneasily.

Sarah gave a hollow laugh. "I've absolutely no fucking clue. One second, I'm about to be married. The next, I'm apparently pregnant with another man and my fiancé decides he doesn't want to marry me anymore" she spat out with more venom than she had expected her words to carry.

Karen shared a nervous look with Robert and hesitated a moment before asking "Who is Jareth exactly?"

Sarah's face immediately no longer portrayed immediate anger, but instead displayed apprehension and confusion as she paused to contemplate her answer to Karen's questions. "He's .. I don't ... It's ... It's complicated" she replied, biting her lip with nervousness.

"Well, are you pregnant with his child? I know you're not that kind of person but I don't want him slandering you and ruining your relationship with Brian simply because he's got a grudge against you Sarah" Robert chided his daughter gently.

"I'm not pregnant with his child Dad" she retorted with a roll of her eyes.

"Well, that's settled then. We'll go talk to the Kingsleys tomorrow and get this mess sorted out. Just go and take a bath now. Everything will be fine." Robert nodded and gave her a smile.

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She ran her fingertips lightly along the edge of the bathtub until they reached the faucets and she twisted them with a graceful force to unleash the powerful torrent of water. She crouched low and held her hand under the running water to check its temperature. She closed her eyes to muse on her situation and a memory of cool fingertips dancing along her shoulders and hot breath on the nape of her neck swam to the front of her eyelids. She jerked her eyes apart and saw she was still physically present in her family's bathroom, her fingers growing warm from the increasing temperature of the water. Why was it then that she could still feel those ghostly sensations dancing on her skin?

She fumbled on the buttons and zips on her dress, the contraptions meant to be undone by another's fingers, before letting it pool into a puddle at her feet. She reached for her favourite bottle of french vanilla bath soap and poured generously into the bathtub before slipping into the hot water and letting her head fall back against the wall. She could feel the tension easing away from her muscles and the combination of the warmth and the familiar scent of vanilla gently lulled her in a state of sleepless rest.

_"Oh my dearest Sarah. Do you know what you do to me?" She felt the hot breath from his words tickling her skin and she smiled at his words and nestled further into his embrace. Cool fingertips pulsing with power and magic gently pushed off the silk shirt she had slipped on off her shoulders to reveal tantalisingly creamy skin as tender kisses trailed down her shoulder blade. She gave a small involuntary shiver at the contact of his mouth with her skin and he growled possessively as he continued his path of kisses continued._

_She was curled comfortably in his lap with her back to his bare chest as his hands snaked possessively around her waist. Black ravens flew high in the orange sky and cawed loudly, but even their dark beauty could not interrupt her acute awareness of all his movements. She could feel his every intake of breath and hear his purred contentment as he deeply inhaled the scent of her hair. She played mindlessly with the hem of the silk shirt that fell to her thighs as she relaxed with her bare legs stretched out on the pale wood and leather chaise._

_She scanned the horizon and noted the quiet beauty of the Labyrinth offset by the brilliant orange hues of the setting sun. Her eyes noted vast expanses of forest teeming with vibrancy and life, contrasted with domineering mountains lying dormant and solid. She gave a small sigh of melancholy and his body immediately tensed around hers. _

_"Is something wrong?" his voice was filled with concern. _

_"No! I just … wish this was real. You, us, this …" she motioned wildly with her hands to depict the vast landscape in front of her. _

_"Silly Sarah. You should know better than to wish for anything whilst I am around" he replied, humour colouring his voice._

_"I know Jareth. But this is just a dream, so I know it'll be okay" she said, her voice quietly fading into the wind._

_He unravelled his arms from her waist and gently turned her around so she could see his face. She noticed the path his eyes traced on her skin, with his gaze feasting hungrily on the stretch of skin revealed by the deep neckline of his silk shirt that extended to her navel. She could feel his desire growing for her against her thigh every moment he continued to take in her looks and she blushed shyly. Even though he had shown her on multiple occasions the extent of his desire for her and she had revelled in his worshipping of her body, she somehow had yet to reconcile that it was her and her alone that had the ability to set him ablaze with desire. _

_"Sarah, I am the Lord of Dreams – this isn't a dream until I say it is" he warned huskily. _

_"And is it?" she smirked, a cruel grin adorning her face._

_He only had time for one word before he pounced onto her lips, attacking them ferociously with his own, as his tongue battled with hers for dominance. The onslaught of his feverish lips left her dazed and wanting more, and when she opened her mouth to moan, he snatched at the opportunity to deepen the kiss. As he picked her up and began walking off the balcony overlooking the Labyrinth and back into his room and his bed, her mind began to forget his warnings and slowly become a blank canvas, destined to only know and feel the pleasure that he could induce in her body._

_"Never"._

Sarah gasped as she broke the surface of the water. She had unwittingly slipped into the water as she recalled her memories of her dreams, and she drew ragged breaths as she struggled to reinflate her lungs with oxygen.

Had that not been a scene that she had dreamt during her sleep months ago? Why was that particular dream suddenly coming back to her? Her brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to connect all the different sides of the puzzle together. What had he said? It wasn't a dream until he said it was so? But of course it was a dream! She ignored the subconscious that tried to remind her what she had felt the morning after she woke up from that particular dream – tired despite a full 8 hours of rest, and her body sore as if it had been ravished over and over again.

She stepped out of the now tepid water and quickly slipped on a bathrobe. She wrapped a towel around her soaking wet hair, packed up her wedding gown and gently padded her way through the hallway to her room. Hanging up the flowing gown brought a pang of pain to her heart as she recalled in her mind the words her fiancé, or was it ex-fiancé had used to cripple her.

Mentally resolving herself to not think about it again until she had at least a full 8 hours of sleep, she made sure to distract herself with her nightly routine. She headed back to her room, ready for bed and rest and silently mused to herself that she was definitely more angry than upset at the whole predicament and that her lack of tears could only be attributed to her anger that the man she was about to embark on a life journey with did not trust her word over that of a stranger.

She could hardly begin to understand why on earth she had once considered Brian the man of her dreams – a man who would fulfil all her dreams and fantasies that she had been harbouring since she had been a young girl. _The man of my dreams, my arse! The man of my dreams would know that I'm not that type of person!_

As she pulled back the covers off her mattress, her eye caught on something sitting innocently on her bedside table. There on her table, sitting innocuously next to her small tower of books was a clear crystal ball, two yellow flowers – she only recognised the marigold and a small slip of parchment with offensively beautiful cursive writing. She snatched up the parchment quickly and her eyes widened with horror as she took in the short message.

**_Dearest Sarah mine,_**

**_Is a dream only a dream until you are woken up? Do not forget that I do not share._**

**_ Forever yours, J_**

As her heart thumped wildly in her chest, she became aware of the slow thudding footsteps of her father walking up the stairway and she hurriedly buried the parchment and crystal ball into one of her drawers before diving into bed. She heard her father's footsteps pause with hesitation outside her bedroom drawer, and she couldn't help but become overwhelmed with the events of the day. Tears streamed down her eyes and all she could feel was a chaotic mix of confusion, a lilting happiness, anger and grief.

Priding herself on having always been an emotionally strong woman, Sarah couldn't help but try to find something to blame for the flood of emotions. _Damn these pregnancy hormones!_

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**A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Things should start to get even more interesting from here on in, so remember to please review if you'd like to see more of this story! J**


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